


Pick up a pen, start writing

by SomeSleepySloth



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Crack, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Or actually 3+1 Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27653317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeSleepySloth/pseuds/SomeSleepySloth
Summary: 3 Times Alec Fails at writing a love letter, and 1 Time he succeeds.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 11
Kudos: 54





	Pick up a pen, start writing

**Author's Note:**

> I believe this was inspired by a Discord conversation where we started speaking in ye olde English. I wrote it nearly four months ago, transferred it to another folder in my Google Drive and completely forgot about it until today oops.
> 
> I know it's usually a 5+1, but uhh *handwaves* artistic licence and all.
> 
> Beta'd by the brilliant [DarayFlair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarayFlair/pseuds/DarayFlair)

Ever since Magnus had discovered Alec’s horrible habit of blushing when he is showered with compliments, he had made sure to exploit that ruthlessly. On lazy mornings, where Alec had no Institute duties, and Magnus had no appointments, his warlock boyfriend would summon cups of coffees from the kitchen into their hands. 

They’d stay in bed, leaning against the headboard, legs tangled together, trading sleepy kisses as the sun rays peeked through the window, illuminating the bedroom in shades of yellow and red.

Magnus’ breath, as he whispered into Alec’s ear, would be ticklish against Alec’s skin. And Alec would barely resist the urge to giggle. The ones of prurient fantasies of what he’d like to do with Alec would cause his cheeks to turn pink. But the ones where Magnus told him sweetly what he adored about him? Alec was helpless to prevent the blush from forming, his cheeks burning red, spreading up his ears and down his chest in splotchy patches. Magnus would cackle at his adorably shy Shadowhunter, and this time Alec doesn’t resist his urge to shove his boyfriend off the bed. 

On days when Magnus had to leave before Alec himself had to wake up, his thoughtful boyfriend would leave him a cup of coffee on the dining table. Steam still rising from its surface, the temperature preserved by a warming charm. And sitting innocently beside the cup would be a handwritten note, sometimes it’d read a simple ‘ _ Good Morning Darling, I hope you have a good day’ _ .

Other times, the note would be longer. Like on one memorable occasion it said, 

_ ‘When you wrap me up in your arms ever so tight,  _

_ the grip you have on my heart grows so tight.  _

_ Your warm embrace keeps my demons at bay,  _

_ and I thank you for that every day.  _

_ Your face relaxed in slumber,  _

_ makes me wonder.  _

_ What have I done to deserve this privilege,  _

_ this joy was one I could never envisage.  _

_ I love you, Alexander,  _

_ Aku cinta kamu.” _

  
  


Alec would feel the warmth rising up his cheeks, a blissful smile forming on his face as he held the note loosely in his hand. As he drank his coffee, he’d turn the paper over and brush his fingers over the imprint of Magnus’ pen pressing into the paper, tracing the swooping loops of Magnus’ handwritten words. 

On days where the imprint was deep, he would make sure to come home early from the Institute, to cuddle Magnus extra tightly after his stressful day. On others, where his pen seemed to glide over the paper leaving no indentations, he would send a silent prayer to the Angels above that Magnus’ good spirits would last throughout the day. 

Each word that Magnus uttered to Alec, be it written or spoken, Alec treasured deeply.  The notes were placed into a locked box that he kept at the Institute. On days when he needed reassurance, after a fight with Magnus, or a rough day at work, he’d pull them out to read. They were a reminder that he was loved, and that he was lucky to be loved so deeply by Magnus, something that Alec had never expected. 

Each word that Magnus uttered to Alec, would put a smile on his face without fail, send his heart swooping with joy. And there were days where Alec felt like the most selfish man on earth. Because he had never written such a letter to Magnus. Words were not his strong suit, he preferred to demonstrate his affection through his actions. 

But seeing how Magnus’ words affected him so, he was determined to repay that favour. He, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, was going to make Magnus blush with his own handwritten words as well. 

**_One_ **

Which brings Alec to this present moment, hunched over his desk at his office in the Institute, pen hovering over a blank piece of paper for the past fifteen minutes. Well, it’s not entirely blank, it has Magnus’ name written at the top. It had been written in his usual messy scribble, initially. Then he’d added a few flourishing strokes to it, embellishing it a little and making use of the cursive writing lessons he had been forced to attend as a child. But that’s it really, fifteen minutes and all he has is a nearly blank piece of paper to show for it. 

Before he can ponder further, his office door slams open and he jerks up in shock. He quickly attempts to shove his letter under the reports that he was meant to be writing but Izzy has already strode up to his desk to snatch it out of his grasp.

“Slacking on the job? I expected better from the Head of The Institute,” she teases him, her eyes skimming across the paper she had ripped from his hands.

“Shut up. What are you doing in my office anyway?” Alec grumbles, annoyed at having his (non-existent) writing process disturbed, as he reaches across the desk to grab the paper back from her hiding it beneath his reports finally.

Izzy ignores his question, and counters with her own, “Is someone writing a love letter to his boyfriend on the job? It’s as if you are a whole new person Alec. How romantic!” She gasps and clutches her hand to her heart in a mock-swoon.

“Go away Izzy, I do not have time for this.” Alec mumbles through gritted teeth. He really doesn’t, Magnus is dropping by the Institute for a consult later, and Alec wants to sneak the note into his pocket as a surprise. Or at least that is the plan, if Alec somehow manages to churn out a note by then. 

He buries his head in his hands, fingers tugging at his hair in exasperation. Why is writing so fucking hard. Alec loves Magnus, he has all these thoughts swirling around in his mind. And he has so many things that he wants to tell Magnus, but penning them down is just...impossible .

Thankfully, Izzy seems to have sensed his rising irritation, “Fine fine, I will leave you to embrace your inner Shakespeare,” she says, making her way towards the door.

As Izzy is about to exit his office, Alec glances down at his still empty paper and decides to swallow his pride. “Hey Iz, uh, I know you write to Meliorn.” Izzy turns around, surprise written all over her face, ready to deny it. 

He waves her protest away, he has more pressing issues at hand here. “Don’t worry, I don’t care what you do with him, but I just wanted to ask, how do you know what to write?” he asks earnestly.

If the astonishment on her face is anything to go by, Izzy is caught off guard either by his question or his admittance at knowing about the dalliance between her and Meliorn. “Well...I usually write something short and succinct. Straight to the point...like…” she trails off, like she was trying to find the correct word, “ah, like a report! You need to just write clearly and ensure the other person knows what you are trying to say.” 

Alec mulls over her advice, not even hearing her wishing him good luck with the writing process, too focused on trying to put her advice into practice.  _ A report, yes, I can do that. I write tons of reports, I will write a good letter to Magnus _ . 

With a renewed determination, Alec picks up his pen and starts writing. 

He walks home with a distinct spring in his step, bursting through the loft door with eagerness. He couldn’t wait to witness Magnus’ reaction to the note that he had successfully slipped into his boyfriend’s pocket earlier at the Institute. That excitement evaporates the moment he catches sight of Magnus. He is sitting at the dining table, a solemn expression on his face, Alec’s note sitting in front of him. 

_ Was his note THAT terrible _ . Alec can feel the panic welling up in him.  _ Oh god, he never meant to make Magnus upset, oh my god, was he going to get dumped over a terribly written note. _

“Alexander,” Magnus begins when Alec has taken a seat opposite him, “So this might be a bit awkward, but I think a Shadowhunter at the Institute has a crush on me?”

_ A WHAT. WHO.  _ Alec can feel the confusion and jealousy burning within him. Magnus was his, everyone at the Institute knew that. On a completely unrelated note, maybe Alec should up the intensity of the training next week. And even if someone had a crush on Magnus, how did he find out about it? It all clicks into place when Magnus slides the note towards him. 

_ Oh. _

“I found this note in my pocket when I came home, I think someone snuck it in there while I was at the Institute? I don’t recognise the handwriting...but it looks like it was written by a Shadowhunter, because it reads like a case report.” Magnus explains.

“See, here, the note starts out with a description of me,” he taps at the first line, and proceeds to read it out, which completes Alec’s mortification process, “You are approximately 6 feet tall, which is a very good height. It goes well with your jet black hair, which…”

He darts out his hand swiping the note off the table, stuffing it into his trousers pocket. When Magnus shoots him a puzzled look, he tries to keep the pained grimace off his face. “Uh, I’m going to take this note back to the Institute, see if I can find out which Shadowhunter wrote it, uhm, I will tell them to back off.”  _ Or maybe burn this wretched note and kill Izzy. _ Alec hasn’t decided yet.

Magnus lets out a light chuckle at that. “Ah, my big bad Shadowhunter protecting my virtue, how sweet,” he says with a wink, ruffling Alec’s hair. “But really, don’t worry about it, I only have eyes for you, my Alexander.” 

Pushing his seat back from the table, Magnus rises to his feet. “So, what would you like to have for dinner tonight? Spanish? Italian? French? Japanese?”

Magnus ends up procuring sushi for dinner and while his boyfriend raves about how fresh the sashimi is, all Alec can taste is the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.

And when Alec discovers later that the relationship between Izzy and Meliorn is merely a physical one, and that the only letters Izzy writes to him are to inform him of where to meet. Well, Alec most certainly does not bang his head against his desk repeatedly. No he absolutely does not, and  _ no _ , he has no idea what that bruise on his forehead came from.

_**Two** _

Given how badly his first attempt went, Alec vows to steer clear of Izzy for any advice in the future. He is loath to admit it, but Jace does seem to have his relationship with Clary down pat. He hasn’t heard of them breaking up yet, so obviously his Parabatai must be doing something right. And Alec can grudgingly admit that he is woefully lacking in the romance department, so he bites the bullet and decides to ask Jace for help this time. 

He knocks on Jace’s door, and when he receives no response, switches direction to the training room instead. There were only two possibilities of where Jace would be when he was in the Institute really, given his dislike of briefings and meetings. 

When he enters the training room, he spies Jace in the corner going for a round with the punching bag. The sweat plastered his fringe to his forehead indicating that he has been at it for a while. Well, no better time for him to take a break then. 

He reaches out with his hand to stop the forward momentum of the punching bag. When Jace flicks a puzzled gaze at him, he tosses a towel in his Parabatai’s face and jerks a thumb towards the meeting room around the corner. “Come on, time for a break, I’ve got a question for you.”

Jace trails behind him, wiping away at his sweat, not bothering to put on a shirt. When the door clicks shut behind him, Jace turns to frown at Alec with concern on his face, “Are you alright?” he asks.

_ Ah right _ . Alec had forgotten that his Parabatai could sometimes feel strong emotions through their bond, and given how nervous Alec was now, his Parabatai was probably able to sense it as well.

He clears his throat awkwardly before he takes the plunge, “Yeah I am. You know how you are in a relationship with Clary?”

Satisfied that Alec is not in grave danger Jace throws himself into one of the chairs around the meeting table, shooting Alec a bemused expression. “Yes, Clary, me” he points to himself, “dating”. He explains slowly as if speaking to a five year old. “Come on, you know we are dating, what about it?”

Shuffling nervously on the spot, Alec huffs in annoyance at Jace’s response before continuing, “Right yes. I know that, you idiot. It’s just, have you written notes or anything like that to her before?”

Judging by the blush and the frozen look in his eyes, it seems like Jace has. Alec lets out a sigh of relief at having chosen the right person to ask.

“Look I’m not judging. I just want to know how you write to her?”

“Uh...with a pen?” 

“By the angel,” Alec scrubs at his face in annoyance at how he is struggling to ask his question. Right. Maybe he should stop beating about the bush.

“Okay, I want to write a letter to Magnus, he writes me these amazingly romantic and heartfelt letters, and I want to repay that favour. I tried asking Izzy for advice, she told me to write it like a report, I did that, except all that happened was Magnus thinking a random Shadowhunter in the Institute has a crush on him!” Alec explains, as he paces about the room anxiously.

When Jace bursts out laughing, nearly falling off his chair, Alec shoots him a withering look. 

Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Jace finally calms down enough to answer Alec. “Yeah, you definitely need help. God. A report.” he lets out a snort at that. “Alright, listen. You have to know your subject Alec, a report is meant for other Shadowhunters to read. Your letter is meant for that warlock of yours, it should be romantic, not...factual. Know your audience, is all I’m saying.”

“Know your audience…” Alec mumbles to himself, thinking the words over in his head. Right, Magnus was an eight hundred year old warlock, who liked romance. Alec nods his head, he thinks he knows how to write that letter now. 

He shoots Jace a quick thank you, before marching towards the door. 

Before he crosses the threshold of the door into the corridor, he hears Jace call out, “Hey, any chance I could read that lovely report of yours?”

Alec feels no guilt about slamming the door shut in his stupid Parabatai’s face.

This time, to avoid Magnus thinking that a Shadowhunter at the Institute is nursing a crush on him ( _ shut up Jace, I mean another Shadowhunter aside from me. And I don’t have a crush, he is my boyfriend, you muppet!) _ Alec decides to wedge his letter between the potions book that he knows Magnus is currently reading over breakfast.  _ It will be a nice surprise for him when he reads it,  _ he thinks, patting himself on his back for his excellent thinking.

Except.

He receives a summon from Ragnor Fell to his utter confusion. He knows of Ragnor’s existence, he has met him before, it’s just that he has never met him just by himself. Usually, he is the one tagging along with Magnus when he goes to meet Ragnor. Climbing up the steps, he raises his hand to lift the door knocker, letting it slam back down, alerting the warlock of his presence. He hears the door click open as it swings open on its own, admitting Alec into the house. 

He cautiously walks further into the house, gazing around curiously around the empty living room. When he fails to spot Ragnor he feels his gut clench in nervousness,  _ is this a trap? _ He curses himself for leaving his bow back at the Institute. He draws his stele out from his pocket, swiftly activating his strength rune as he treads carefully down the corridor. His eyes alert as he inspects the scene before him. 

Thankfully Magnus had insisted on him putting on his thigh holster this morning with the argument  _ because I like to look at you in it _ . And well, Alec couldn’t really disagree with that, could he? He slides his arm down, fingertip brushing the knife’s handle.A voice drawls out from behind him, “Now, surely there’s no need for that, is there?”

Alec whips his head around and draws his knife, fingers clenched tightly around the knife handle, ready to stab whoever had snuck up on him when he sees that it is just Ragnor. “Come on, Shadowhunter, we can talk in the living room.” Putting his knife away and muttering under his breath about stupid annoying warlocks, Alec follows him into the living room and settled into an armchair opposite Ragnor.

Ragnor leans back into his armchair and fixes Alec with a steely gaze, before finally breaking the silence. “I can imagine your surprise at receiving the letter from me, but I can assure you, I was more astonished when I received a letter from that warlock of yours this afternoon, which just said,  _ Nice try Ragnor, just you wait _ .”

Alec can feel the blood drain from his face slowly,  _ oh no oh no _ ... _ this can’t be… _

“Just you wait. What did that even mean? So, I opened a portal to his loft, and all he did was shove a letter in my face, telling me that I should try better if I had wanted to prank him. Now, let me see, where did I put this letter?” Alec rolls his eyes as Ragnor makes a show of patting the various pockets in his coat before producing the letter with an exaggerated flourish, “Perhaps you could enlighten me on what this prank I seemed to have supposedly pulled on Magnus is.”

Alec sinks deeper into the armchair, well, as much as his tall frame allows, as Ragnor begins to read  _ his _ letter out to him, playing up his British accent.

_ “Myn lykyng, mine heart pines for thee, every minute we are parted. Oh the bitter sorrow, I cannot wait till the ‘morrow. Thy presence be all I seek, thine happiness be all I desire. Myne owne hertis rote. Thou…”  _ Apparently that is as far as Ragnor can go before the fit of laughter he had been suppressing breaks free. As he bursts into laughter Alec takes the opportunity to rip the letter out of his hand, burying it deep within his coat pocket. Alec takes the opportunity of Ragnor bursting into laughter to rip the letter out of his hand, burying it deep within his own coat pocket. He is certain the flush on his cheeks are red enough to give a tomato a run for its money.

Thankfully, Ragnor finally calms down and wipes the tears of laughter from his eyes. “That was one of the most horrible butchering of Old English I have ever laid eyes upon, I must say.”

Alec shoots him a dark glare, barely resisting the urge to cross his arms. “Whatever. I’m not here for an English lesson” he mumbles.

“Luckily for you, I figured out pretty quickly that this must have been your doing. After all, who else has access to Magnus’ loft and would want to write such a letter? Well. Anyway, you certainly do owe me one now, after I covered for you and admitted to the prank.” Ragnor graciously informs him.

“Thank you Ragnor.” Alec replies sincerely. He really is grateful because he has at least been spared the awful fate of Magnus laughing in his face as he reads out the letter than Alec had spent hours trying to write. He’d pored over the books in the library, determined to write like Shakespeare. Magnus did sometimes quote poems and prose from the Victorian era to him which always made his knees buckle even if he didn’t always fully understand what Magnus was saying.

And when Magnus asks Alec if he knows where his bottle of Macallan whisky has disappeared to a week later, Alec has no qualms about throwing Jace under the bus. 

That said, Alec never knew about Magnus’ penchant for mischief until he heard about how the Shadowhunters living in the Institute were roused from sleep at four in the morning by a loud screeching. They had all raced out into the corridors with weapons drawn, expecting a banshee, only to be confronted with the sight of Jace running down the corridor shrieking his head off about a bloody duck in his bed. His Parabatai deserved it for the horrible advice he had given Alec really.  _ Know your audience he says,  _ Alec grumbles to himself,  _ what a load of rubbish. _

**_Three_ **

Maybe Alec had been going about this wrong, he was trying to write a letter for Magnus. 

Out in the field, when Alec had to glean information from suspected rogue Downworlders, he would activate his glamour before striking up a conversation with them. Any incriminating information gained would be filed away for later use. Not that he was saying Magnus was a rogue Downworlder, of course not. But maybe that was what he should do. 

If he wanted to write a good letter for Magnus, he should extract information from Magnus himself on what sort of letter he would like to read. And he wouldn’t even be needing a glamour, nor would he have to spend hours skulking about in the underbelly of New York City tracking his suspect. He had easy access to Magnus after all! This was definitely going to work, of that, Alec was certain.

Later that night, Alec and Magnus are cuddling in bed with Magnus’ head resting on Alec’s chest. Alec is running his fingers through Magnus’ hair, enjoying how Magnus had let it grow when he realised how much Alec liked his hair long while Magnus’ mischievous fingers are tracing indecipherable patterns through Alec’s chest hair. The domesticity of it all is lulling Alec to sleep, especially after the gruelling day he had at the Institute. His fingers still in Magnus’ hair, but right as he is about to doze off, Magnus gives him a playful poke by his ribs, aiming straight for his ticklish spot. Alec startles awake with a very manly squeak, catching Magnus’ finger in one hand, while rubbing at the abused spot crossly.

“I was about to fall asleep,” he grumps out, annoyed at his sleep being disturbed.

“I miss you”, Magnus whispers softly, and Alec just...melts at that. It feels a bit like a non sequitur, but Alec knows what he means. Their past few days have been hectic and they had not had the time to snuggle in bed, talking about anything under the sun, as they slowly fell asleep. He misses their nightly routine.

“I miss you too.” Alec whispers softly as he slides his hand down towards Magnus’ back, rubbing and kneading at his sore muscles, “So what do you want to talk about?”

Alec is content to lean back and let his boyfriend’s voice wash over him as Magnus chatters on about how  _ Lorenzo Rey that incompetent lizard _ had refused to heed his advice once again, nodding and humming at regular intervals, when it strikes him. He has a question to ask! He cannot believe he nearly forgot about that very important question!

“Hey Magnus, I have a question for you?” he begins haltingly.

“Alexander, you can always ask me anything, there’s no need to ask me if you can ask a question”

Alec blushes at that, right yes, Magnus is his boyfriend now and he can ask any questions he wants as Magnus has reminded him repeatedly.

“You know how you leave those notes for me at breakfast?” When Alec feels Magnus nod slowly against his chest, as if confused about where Alec was going with his question, he continues, “How do you know what to write?”

There is a stretch of silence as Magnus ponders that question, before he replies, “I write from my heart. There are times when I look at you and my heart is just overflowing with all these emotions. I get the urge to write it down, so I pen those thoughts down.”

“Sometimes, it’s a simple one to remind you that I am always thinking about you, and that I love you. Other times, it just hits me like a punch in my gut how much I love you, and I get reminded of what I love about you. I write those thoughts down so you can read them, and realise how much I treasure each part of you no matter what your parents or others might say about them.”

Alec sits back in bed, stunned. He certainly wasn’t expecting such a long answer when he had first asked the question. As he is processing Magnus’ words, his boyfriend has a question of his own, “Why are you asking, Alexander? Do you...do you not like the notes?”

Alec hastens to reassure his boyfriend, leaning down to peck his lips softly, “No, I love them so much, I was just...curious about what inspired you to write those notes.” He feels the tension bleed out of Magnus’ frame, and he feels a stab of guilt at causing his boyfriend to worry about those notes that Alec treasured dearly.

The next morning, Alec finds himself sitting at his desk in his office once again. Except this time, he is determined to get this right. He will write from his heart, that’s what Magnus said to do. And so that’s what he will do! And hopefully this time, he will write a beautiful enough letter to evoke the same emotions as Magnus’ notes. 

This time, when he lifts his pen he lets the words flow from his heart, focusing on his love for Magnus as he channels them into coherent sentences. He doesn’t stop writing until he has filled the page. When he finishes, he sits back in his chair, letting out a self-satisfied sigh at his accomplishment. He thinks he has done a good job, until he decides to proof-read it before giving it to Magnus. It absolutely had to be the perfect letter! 

But when he reads what he has written, he feels a sense of dread settle within him. It feels... _ simple _ , for a lack of a better word. He had poured his heart out but his words did not have the eloquence that Magnus’ seemed to have. There had to be something he could do about this, there had to be a way to improve his letter. 

He sweeps his gaze around his office, looking for inspiration, when his eyes land on his unused copy of a thesaurus sitting innocently on his shelf still wrapped in its transparent packaging. His eyes light up in glee, yes, that was meant to expand his vocabulary. Surely that would help with improving his expressiveness. 

There is a spring in his step as he walks into the loft that night, letter safely tucked into his jacket, bursting with excitement at the thought of presenting Magnus with it. All throughout dinner, he barely tastes the paella that Magnus had gotten, even though he had been the one who had requested it for dinner earlier that morning. He is eagerly anticipating Magnus’ reaction to his letter.

The minute Magnus waves his hands and sends their dishes to the kitchen, Alec tugs the letter out of his jacket pocket and pushes it across the table to his boyfriend. Magnus arches a questioning brow at him as he reaches to pick the letter up. He carefully breaks the seal on the envelope, and pulls the note out to read. Magnus’ head is bent over the letter, and as he reads it, his shoulders start shaking and he cups his mouth with his hand. 

_ Oh shit, is Magnus crying?! _ Alec had wanted to write a touching letter that conveyed his affections and sentiments appropriately, he wanted Magnus to smile not to  _ cry _ .

He rises quickly from his chair, striding across to Magnus’ side of the table, kneeling down to look Magnus in the eye, alarmed at his tears, and ready to comfort him. 

His boyfriend lets out an undignified snort. Was he... _ laughing?! _ Was he actually laughing at Alec’s letter? He was bewildered at this sudden change in emotions. 

“Oh god Alec, this is hilarious, where did you get this from?” Magnus asks in between laughs. “Listen to this: You make my full-sized aortic pump thrash speedily when you beam in my direction. What does this even mean?”

And. And...that is just too much for Alec. He rises up from his spot on the floor quietly, and silently trudges down the corridor into their bedroom, throwing himself face first into the bed. Fuck. Why was he fucking this up so badly. He just wanted to tell Magnus how much he loved him but here Magnus was, laughing in his face at his letter. He feels the tears streaming down his face, soaking the pillow underneath him.

Alec doesn’t so much as hear but feels Magnus enter the room when his side of the bed dips. Fingers start running through his hair, scratching at his scalp. “I’m sorry Alexander, I didn’t realise you were the one who wrote the letter, I didn’t mean to laugh. I am so sorry, will you forgive me darling?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Alec mumbles into his pillow.

“Hey Alexander, look at me,” Magnus reaches out with his finger and turns Alec’s tear-stained face towards him. “I shouldn’t have laughed at it, I’m just...confused. What brought this on? Why did you write that letter?”

Looking up and seeing Magnus’ baffled expression, Alec caves. He admits shamefacedly what had motivated him to write the letter. He just, he wanted to make Magnus as happy as Magnus makes him with those heartfelt notes that he wrote. And...he has somehow fucked that up.

“Oh Alexander,” Magnus whispers softly as the tale slowly tumbles out, and Alec, he doesn’t want Magnus’ pity. Or sympathy. “You didn’t mess up, you did a good job with the letter, I am touched that you went the extra mile of penning that letter. But you don’t have to write me letters to show me how much you love me.”

“I don’t?” Alec asks, brows furrowed in confusion.

“No you don’t, silly. Have I told you about love languages? There are five different kinds.” Magnus picks up Alec’s hand. He cradles it gently in his palm and counts each language off as he names them against Alec’s fingers. “There’s words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. Everyone expresses their love differently, and each person has a love language they themselves like.”

“When I leave those notes for you, it’s because words of affirmation is one way in which I express my love for you. It wasn’t meant to pressure you into forcing yourself to write a letter for me.”

“But I didn’t force myself, I really wanted to!” Alec protests earnestly.

“And I will always treasure this very first letter that you have written to me, darling. It was wrong of me to laugh at your heartfelt words. Will you forgive me please?” 

“Yes, Magnus. As long as you liked the letter.” Alec shuffles and lifts his head up into Magnus’ lap, nuzzling at that bare strip of skin exposed by his unbuttoned shirt. 

“Also, you are wrong,” Magnus informs him, “you send my heart swooping every time you bring home a memento you picked up on your missions, just because it reminded you of me. You make my knees buckle everytime you kiss me because I am so proud of how far we have come, from the day when we first met and you were so skittish and refused my touch. You express your love in a different way but I feel it nevertheless. Aku cinta kamu, my sweet boy.” 

Magnus bends his head down to rub his nose gently against Alec’s, the eskimo kiss sending Alec’s heart fluttering. 

“But, I have to ask, where did you get those words from? We speak to each other, and I have never heard you use those words before….” 

Alec buries his face into Magnus’ stomach in embarrassment as he admits “I wrote a draft of that letter but when I read through it, it felt too simple. I didn’t know how to change my writing style, so I uh...tried to use better words instead?”

When Magnus starts chuckling at his explanation, Alec can’t help but join in. God, he has no idea what he was thinking, now that he thought about it. 

“A full-sized aortic pump, really?” Magnus repeats, before he bursts into peals of laughter. Alec just looks up at Magnus’ head thrown back in laughter, and lets a pleased smile settle on his face.

As Magnus sobers, a serious expression forms on his face, “Wait, you said you had a first draft of that letter? The one without the aortic pumps?”

**_One_ **

“Yeah, I have it tucked in my coat pocket. Although it’s slightly crumpled, why?” Alec queries.

“Can I read it?” 

“I guess so?” Alec is slightly confused as to why Magnus wants to read that letter.

When Magnus wiggles his fingers, silently asking for permission to summon the letter from Alec’s coat pocket, Alec nods for him to proceed. A ball of paper comes whizzing through the door, which Magnus catches deftly in his hand.

He smooths the creases out then reads the letter aloud,  _ “My heart beats faster when you smile at me. Sometimes, I am caught off guard by how amazing you look. You take my breath away. When I first handed you my heart, I was scared, afraid that you would realise that I am not good enough, would not be good enough. But each day, I am thankful that I gave you my heart and I am no longer afraid because you gave me your heart in return. I promise to take good care of it, like you take such good care of mine. I’m sorry that I am not as good with words like you are, but I hope this letter will remind you that I am in love with you. I love you and I like you, Magnus Bane. And thank you for loving me too.” _

By the end of the letter Magnus has tears rolling down his ruddy cheeks. Alec sits up, tucking Magnus’ head into the crook of his neck, as he brushes the tears away with his thumb. 

“Alexander, I love this letter.” he chokes out, “It is perfect as it is, I love you so much. Any word that you write is precious to me. This letter has definitely sent my aortic pump thrashing like a bat out of hell in my ribcage.”

“I’m glad that you liked it.” Alec whispers back, letting that jab slide, as he hugs Magnus closer to him.

True to his words, Magnus does indeed treasure that letter. He frames the letter and puts it on his bedside table. Alec always blushes in embarrassment when he catches sight of it, to Magnus’ delight. It turns into a running joke between them. Whenever Alec pens a letter to Magnus, he’d ask if this new letter would finally replace that embarrassingly old one Magnus had framed up, to which Magnus would cheekily suggest that Alec had to try harder with his next letter.

Over the years, Magnus’ bedside table will gain a few additions, getting more cluttered with each major life event that they go through together. A wedding photo joins the framed letter. When they adopt their two sons, a family photo is added to the table as well. But throughout the years, that letter will remain firmly in its place of honour on Magnus’ bedside table. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good day 💙


End file.
